The intent of the review, presented at the 1981 meeting of the California Board of Prison Terms, is to examine the State's parole 'suitability criteria.' The author contacted numerous experts and scholars; polled computer information banks in sociology, criminology, psychiatry, and psychology; and reviewed more than 100 abstracts of relevant articles, books, and other publications. Topics summarized include the background of three major sentencing policies: the determinate sentencing system, the guidelines system, and the violence risk assessment system. Theories of crime causation discussed are biological and psychological theories, social theories of learning and behavior, and sociological theories (structural/strain, cultural, control, and labeling). The literature addresses demographic and background factors such as past criminal record, age, sex, race, socioeconomic status, employment stability, and opiate or alcohol abuse. Additional factors considered are mental illness, family stability, and situational correlates of violent behavior. Criminal careers research examines such issues as the age of onset and initial types of criminal behavior, increasing seriousness of crimes, specialization, and offense, arrest, and incarceration rates. The literature also covers such aspects of criminal careers as motivation, criminal sophistication, and the effect of criminal justice sanctions. In-prison experience is reviewed in terms of mental health diagnoses and treatment, vocational and educational training, and factors affecting adjustment to prison. Finally, the decision to parole is examined in four systems: the U.S. Parole Commission, the Minnesota Sentencing Commission, and the Michigan and Massachusetts departments of corrections. Charts and 47 references are provided.